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'F. R. TIBBITTS & G. J. ALLEN.

FURNACE FRONT.

No 576,919. Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

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F. R. TIBBITTS & G. J. ALLEN. FURNACE FRONT. No. 576,919. Patented Feb.9, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FRANK R. TIBBITTS AND CHARLES J. ALLEN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,

SIGNORS TO THE PLAYFORD STOKER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FURNACE-FRONT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,919, dated February 9, 1S9'7.

Application filed May l8,1896. Serial No. 591,984 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that we, FRANK R.TIBB1TTs and CHARLES J. ALLEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace-Fronts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fronts forf u rnaces for steam-boilers and other purposes; and it consists, first, in providing a hollow or chambered gate or door having water circulating through it for protecting it against the heat of the furnace; second, a hinged apron-front to the fuel-hopper. The nature and objects of these improvements will fully appear from the subjoined description, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a perspective view of a furnace front embodying our improvements. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a vertical section of the same, showing the construction and application of said improvements. Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the water-gate.

A represents the front of a steam-boiler setting, which is all open below the arch B.

O is a traveling grate and grate-carriage which occupies a portion of the opening below the arch and theboiler. The space between the arch and the grates comprises the opening through which the fuel is fed to the furnace. A are front extension-plates at the sides of opening. D is a gate or door for closing said fuel-opening, comprising the first part of ourimprovement, described as follows:

the two sides of the gate or door.

The gate or door is made hollow or chambered and preferably of sheet metal, as cast metal is liable to crack or break. -As seen in Fig. 3, two sheets, or one sheet folded, form Narrow ends, or ends and bottom piece cl, placed between said plates and riveted thereto, form the bottom and ends of anarrow box. Staypieces are also put between the plates vertically and reaching from the top to about three-fourths the distance down, leaving ample room for circulation. A topplate d is also put in the top, held in by eyebolts (Z screwed into the stay-pieces.

E is an inlet-pipe fixed in one end of the top plate d and extends down to near the bottom of the gate for the admission of water. It has a funnel mouth and receives water from a pipe E, leading from a suitable supplybolts 61 by chains J J. K is a lever on one end of said shaft, by means of which the shaft may be rotated for raising or lowering the gate for regulating the size of the feed-opening belowit.

L is a chain attached to the lever K, by means of which the lever may be held in any desired position, when depressed, by inserting one of its links in a fork 011 the side of the plate A. g

M is a plate fixed to the side plate A and in front of the gate, having a scale marked on it by which the height of the gate is shown and the feed-opening under it is graduated.

N is an apron which forms the front of the fuel-hopper. It is hinged to a tie-rod n, extending across from one side plate A to the other. Its lower edge rests upon the grates.

O is a rock-shaft journaled in the side plates A just beneath the tie-rod n and has arms P P attached, which lie against the under side of the apron. Q is a lever on one end of said rock-shaft O, by means of which the rockshaft may be turned for raising the apron.

R is a chain attached to the lever Q, by which it may be held down by inserting one of its links in a fork g on the side of the plate A. The purpose of this is to provide for hopper, which is liable to be burned by the heat fro nan unprotected gate.

Having described our invention, We claim- 1. The combination with the furnace-front and the traveling grate, of the chambered gate D, having inlet-funnel E and outlet-pipe F, adapted to provide a Water circulation through said gate, the shaft H mounted on the end plates A, half-wheels I I mounted on said shaft, chains J J connecting said halfwheels with the gate, and the lever K on the end of said shaft, and the chain L attached to said lever and adapted to hold the lever in fixed positions, by engagement with fork 70, all constructed to operate substantially as described and for the purpose specified. i 

